A Florida cafe was temporarily closed after inspectors documented rodent droppings, a live roach, a flying insect and food stored above safe refrigeration temperatures. The case follows a previous Florida restaurant closure involving rodent droppings, though this new shutdown was short-lived: the business received clearance to reopen the next morning.
Call Street Cafe, at 111 Call Street in Starke, was ordered closed October 9, 2026, after an inspection by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. State-derived closure records show the restaurant was cleared to reopen on October 10, less than one day later.
What state inspectors reported
The October 9 inspection identified 12 rodent droppings in a dry-food storage area and six more in the dishwashing area. Inspectors also recorded one live roach near a sink and one flying insect near another sink. According to the report, employees removed the droppings and killed the roach while inspectors were present.
Food storage was another issue. Inspectors measured cut melon at 49 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit and sliced cheese at 55 degrees. Both exceeded the 41-degree maximum required for foods that must be kept refrigerated for safety. A stop-sale order was issued for those foods after an employee said they had been in the cooler overnight.
Inspectors additionally documented pest bait that was not enclosed in proper stations, food residue on a can opener, and mold-like buildup on parts of ice equipment. The report cited an employee who handled raw eggs and then touched utensils without first washing hands. Water at one handwashing sink was initially below the required temperature, but the operator corrected that problem during the inspection.
The inspection reported 13 violations: eight high-priority, two intermediate and three basic. The report documents sanitation and food-safety conditions on that date; it does not report a confirmed illness outbreak connected to the cafe.
Cleared after a follow-up inspection
Regulators returned on Saturday, October 10. The follow-up report recorded an emergency-order callback marked compliant and listed no additional violations during that visit. The publicly reported closure period ran from 10:23 a.m. October 9 until authorization to reopen at 8:10 a.m. October 10.
Florida’s restaurant regulator explains that emergency closures are intended to protect public health while serious conditions are corrected. The agency says a temporary closure is not automatically a disciplinary action, and an inspection reflects conditions at a particular moment rather than the restaurant’s permanent condition.
Readers can consult Florida’s official restaurant inspection and emergency-closure records for additional information. For Call Street Cafe, the latest inspection reviewed was the October 10 follow-up clearing the business to reopen. The documented problems were serious enough to interrupt service, but the reopening decision is equally important context for diners.
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